Veronika
by draculasbride2008
Summary: ON HIATUS. Viktor isn't dead, but Selene's still gone. Kraven never betrayed Viktor, but he's still the same old Kraven. The lycans only got away with Amelia's murder by chance. What they didn't count on was Amelia's 23yearold daughter, Veronika.
1. Chapter 1: Getting Caught

Veronika

Chapter 1: Getting Caught

The club was packed. Of course, it was always packed on Saturday nights. The music was loud, and since the club only played the hits that you heard on the popular radio stations, a lot of people were on the dance floor. A lot of people were ordering drinks, too.

"I need a vacation," Sam sighed to himself. He was the club's bartender and, as such, he was having a very busy night.

"What's the matter, Sam?" said a voice behind him, "Are you having a bad night?"

"Very funny, Veronika," Sam replied as he turned around to face the slim brunette who was seated at the bar behind him. She just smiled sweetly.

Veronika was a slim young woman of about twenty-three, with an unusually light complexion that was not unappealing, clear eyes that were a beautiful shade of azure blue, and brown hair that was so dark it was almost black. She wore a pair of tight-fitting, black leather pants, a deep crimson-coloured halter top, and stylish black leather boots. She was gorgeous, but there was one problem. She wasn't exactly a woman. She was a vampire.

"Can't Saturdays _ever_ not be busy here!" Sam cried out in exasperation.

"I guess not," replied Veronika, her smile showing off a bit of her fangs.

"Just so you know, you might want to be careful with that smile of yours," he said, indicating his teeth.

"Thanks, Sam," Veronika said gratefully. Sam was the only human who knew she was a vampire, and she knew she could trust him to keep her secret. What made his silence about this even more important was that, when he had found out about Veronika's being a vampire, Sam had also become the only human in the world who knew that vampires really existed.

"No problem."

Veronika glanced around the room, watching the people dancing and talking to each other. Briefly, she wondered what they would think if they knew that there was a real vampire sitting in their midst. She smiled at the thought. Of course, she could never let any of them know the truth. Just letting Sam find out had been a risk in itself. However, Veronika never would have told him if she had thought there was even the slightest chance of Sam revealing her secret. She sighed and turned back around to face the bar.

"So," Sam said, leaning in close to her, his voice lowered so they wouldn't be overheard, "Can you drink anything other than, well…you know?"

Veronika smiled, "Well, we don't do it often, but yeah, we can drink other things."

"Good. Now then, what can I get you to drink?"

"How about a cosmopolitan?"

"Good choice. You want that with a twist?" Sam asked.

"Sure," Veronika said.

"So," he said as he turned around to mix her drink, "Are you sure you, uh, _family_ isn't going to be upset with you for spending the night at a club with us regular people?"

"Well, since I don't plan on telling them about it, no, I don't think they'll be upset." Veronika knew that if anyone from Viktor's coven found out about what she had been doing, and Viktor got wind of it, she would be punished severely. In their eyes, she would have been placing the coven and everyone in it in danger of being discovered. They would have been right, but Veronika wasn't going to let anyone other than Sam find out that she was a vampire. She had been aware of the risks of going to such a populated place alone since she had first started coming here. She had also known that she was taking a risk when she told Sam that she was a vampire. If anyone from the coven, especially Kraven or, worst of all, _Viktor_, found out that she had told a human about the existence of vampires, then there would have been only one outcome. Viktor would order someone, most likely Kraven, to kill Sam. She wasn't even sure what they would do to _her_, but she was more worried about Sam's fate than her own. It wasn't like she was _in love_ with Sam or anything, but he was her very good friend, and she didn't want anything bad to happen to him because of her.

"Here you go," Sam said, handing her her drink.

"Thanks," she said.

"You, uh, don't think that any of them have ever followed you here, do you?"

_He must have been thinking along the same lines as I was_, Veronika mused silently.

"No, I don't think they've ever followed me here."

He let out a breath, "Good."

"Worried?" she asked him, and smiled when a sheepish look crossed his face.

"Maybe a little," he said.

"There's nothing wrong with that," she assured him. After all, if placed in his situation, most humans would probably have already had a panic attack from worrying excessively about being caught by Viktor and his coven. Veronika would have been surprised if Sam _hadn't_ been worried.

"I think I'm going to walk around for a bit," she said after a while.

"Alright, but don't forget to say goodbye before you leave," he said, smiling.

"You know I would never forget about you," Veronika smiled back, being careful not to show too much of her fangs, "See you in a few."

She picked up her drink and headed towards one of the less occupied areas of the club, a slightly shadowed corner with a few of the brick pillars that were common in buildings like this. Tonight there were only about three or four people there, which was surprising because it was a great place to make out with a boyfriend or girlfriend. She walked over to a couch that was close to the pillars and sat down. The song that was currently playing was one of the more popular ones. For this week, at least. She took a sip of her drink and listened to the words that were flowing from the speakers across the club.

About two or three yards behind Veronika and to her right, a dark figure emerged from behind one of the pillars. Veronika sat on the couch, sipping her drink and nodding her head in time with the music, completely unaware of the fact that she was being watched.

Kraven continued to watch Veronika, still amused by the fact that she had thought that she could get away with what she was doing. He had seen her leave the mansion that night, and had decided to follow her. After all, he had seen her leave the mansion several nights in a row for about two months, and each time she had done so without first getting permission from either himself or from Viktor. It was amazing that she had thought that nobody would, eventually, notice her frequent absences. The thought alone made him want to laugh.

Kraven stepped fully out of the shadows of the pillars, and began walking towards Veronika, a smirk etched across his features. There was no way Veronika could wiggle her way out of this one. He had seen it all. Stopping directly behind her, he lowered his head so that his mouth was right next to her left ear.

"Hello, Veronika, my dear," he whispered softly. Veronika's eyes widened in shock. It wasn't possible, it just wasn't possible. There was no way he could be here.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned around and looked up at the vampire behind her. Her disbelief was evident in her expression, and his name slipped past her lips.

"Kraven."


	2. Chapter 2: Punishment

Disclaimer: I do not own Underworld or any of it's characters. They belong to the people who created the movie.

Chapter 2-Punishment

Kraven smiled. He absolutely loved it when he could affect someone like this. Her look of disbelief and shock was absolutely priceless. Chuckling to himself, he walked around to the front of the couch and sat down next to her. She still had that shocked expression on her face, but it had toned down some. He laughed, and she finally seemed to recover.

"What are you doing here, Kraven?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.

"Now, now, Veronika. I really don't think you're in any place to be asking questions, do you? Still, I would like to tell you how much I enjoyed uncovering your little secret."

"Bite me."

"I could do that," he said," But I think that can wait until another time."

"Arrogant as ever, I see," was Veronika's reply.

"Right now, however," Kraven continued, "I would like to dance."

If looks could kill, he'd be ashes. Veronika, not to mention everyone in the coven, knew that Kraven wanted her. After he' first been blown off by Selene, he'd doubled his efforts to get her to become his. Then she'd delivered the ultimate humiliation by choosing the hybrid over him. For months afterwards he'd been in a dark mood, not ignoring even the slightest insult to his pride, being polite and showing respect to Viktor alone. Then, after Veronika had come from Amelia's coven to Viktor's, Kraven's mood had miraculously improved. It hadn't been long before everyone knew that he had transferred his attentions from Selene to Veronika. Nobody had been surprised, either. Veronika was extremely beautiful, and Kraven only went after the best. The fact that she was Amelia's daughter had only helped to encourage his attraction to her. Power and beauty had always been two things that attracted Kraven to a female. Selene had been a classic example.

"I don't really feel like dancing with you."

"Then we might as well leave."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Kraven."

"You don't seriously think I'm going to let you stay here, do you? You're going to come back to the mansion with me, and you're going to come quietly."

"As I just said, I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, looking at him with disgust.

"Unless you want to face Viktor's wrath alone, without any protection aside from your own pitiful excuses, then you will stand up, walk out of this club with me, and then we'll both get in the car and go back to the mansion. If you do this, then I'll be able to keep you safe," he said. Veronika jus looked at him.

"If not," he continued, "Then I'll be forced to drag you out of here, and you'll face Viktor alone. Now, which do you choose?"

"Let's go," she said after a moment of thought. She didn't relish the thought of giving in to Kraven, but she was more afraid of Viktor's wrath.

"You've made the right choice," he told her.

"Whatever."

To Veronika's dismay, once they were in the car and on their way back to the mansion, Kraven resumed their discussion.

"You know," he began, "You really should be more careful about how frequently you sneak out. Someone might get suspicious and decide to follow you."

She glared at him, "Obviously."

"Don't be angry with me for uncovering your little secret. You should have known better than to go out by yourself to such a populated area. You've been putting the entire coven in danger each time you've gone out. You took quite a chance striking up a conversation with that bartender."

_Oh, no!_ she thought, _He knows about Sam! What am I going to do!_

"You're lucky he didn't see your fangs and figure out what you were."

She gave a mental sigh of relief, _Thank God._

"If he had seen my fangs, he probably would have thought that they were fake. It's not that uncommon for the younger humans to do such things."

"You were still taking an extremely unnecessary risk," he said.

"Spare me the lecture," she replied flatly.

As they drove up to the mansion, Kraven pressed a button on the dashboard, and the gates opened. They pulled up to the front of the enormous building, and Kraven, after walking around to her door, took her arm as she started to get out of the car. She glared at him, but didn't say anything. They walked through the front doors and headed straight for the stairs. After reaching the second floor, they headed for the doors at the end of the hallway. Veronika shivered unintentionally. Those doors were the only thing that separated her from Viktor's office and from Viktor, who was probably waiting for them inside.

"Open the doors," Kraven told the guards, and they obeyed.

They walked into the office and, sure enough, there was Viktor, seated behind his desk, reading what was most likely a letter. He looked up as they approached. When they reached the desk, both of them kneeled and bowed their heads.

"Rise," commanded Viktor.

They did as he said, both of them rising to their feet. Veronika kept her head bowed, her eyes averted so that she was looking at the floor to her right. Kraven, however, raised his head, though he too kept his eyes averted.

"Well?" Viktor asked expectantly.

"My lord," began Kraven, "I have discovered that Veronika has been sneaking out for the past two months to go to a club that is heavily populated by humans."

Viktor looked furious as he turned his gaze upon Veronika, "Is what he says true?"

She kept her gaze lowered as she answered him, "Yes, my lord."

"_What were you thinking!"_ Viktor exploded. Kraven flinched. Veronika quaked.

"My lord, I-"

"How could you be so dense as to do such a careless, foolish thing like this!" he continued, completely ignoring her attempted excuse.

"My lord," interrupted Kraven, "I do not believe that it is entirely her fault."

"What are you talking about?" asked Viktor.

"I think," Kraven replied slowly, "That the reason why Veronika did this was because she was looking for a way to suppress the pain caused by Amelia's death. The grief that it caused for Veronika was, and probably still is, so strong that it drove her to do whatever she could do to get rid of it, without taking time to consider the risk she was taking."

"Is this true, Veronika?"

Veronika didn't answer him. She kept her gaze lowered, partially out of respect for Viktor, but mostly to conceal the fact that she was crying. Amelia had been dead for almost four months now, but the pain it had caused Veronika was still as fresh as it had been the day she had been informed of it. Amelia had, after all, been Veronika's mother, and Veronika had loved her dearly.

"Veronika?" Viktor prompted her.

Veronika just raised her head and looked at him. It was all she _could_ do. Her voice had left her. Viktor saw the tears streaming down her face, and his expression softened immediately.

"Oh, my child," he said, believing Kraven's explanation, "I know that you must still be feeling grief from losing your mother, but recklessly putting yourself and everyone else in danger is not the way to make it go away. It is not what your mother would want you to do."

"Yes, my lord. I swear to you that I will never again do something so foolish. I am sorry." Veronika bowed her head once again.

Viktor walked over to where she stood and, standing in front of her, he lifted her chin so that she was looking him in the eye.

"You are forgiven. Now, please wait outside to doors for a moment."

"Yes, my lord," she said, and exited the room.

After she had gone, Viktor turned to Kraven and said, "I want you to take Veronika with you the next time you and your team go out to search for Selene and the abomination."

"M-my lord?' asked Kraven incredulously."

"I believe that the experience will be beneficial to her."

Of course, my lord," said Kraven, bowing his head respectfully.

"Kraven, I realize that you hesitate to take her with you, but I assure you, she will not be a problem for you. In fact, she might actually be helpful."

"With all due respect, my lord," said Kraven, "I fail to see how she could be of any help."

"Amelia made sure that Veronika was well trained when it came to combat. In truth, Veronika is as qualified to become a death dealer as any of the warriors in this coven."

Kraven was taken aback by this bit of information. He never would have believed that Veronika was capable of becoming a death dealer. She just didn't seem strong enough.

"I also realize," Viktor continued, "That, due to your previous feelings toward Selene, you may not be best suited to continue with this mission."

"My lord, I must respectfully insist that I am still completely able to continue leading the search for Selene."

"I do not want your emotions to get in the way of our success, Kraven. I want Selene back in this coven, and I want the abomination dead."

"I assure you, my lord, that I _will_ bring Selene back and, with her, the hybrid's head."

"Be sure that you do," Viktor said coldly.

"Yes, my lord," said Kraven, bowing his head. He then left the room and, turning to Veronika, who was still waiting outside the doors, said, "Follow me."


	3. Chapter 3: Part of the Team

Disclaimers: I don't own Underworld or anything in it…if I did, I wouldn't be stuck here writing fanfictions. Now, my pretties…read the new chapter! Mwa-ha-ha-haaa!

Veronika

Chapter Three-Part of the Team

_What's going on?_, thought Veronika as she followed Kraven down a flight of stairs. He hadn't said a word to her since they had left Viktor's office. Usually, if he ever got a chance to be alone with Veronika, he would try anything he could to persuade her to be with him. Now, however, he was completely silent, and she had no choice but to wait until they reached their destination.

_Wherever_ that _is_, she thought.

Kraven stopped suddenly, and Veronika walked right into his back. She mentally scolded herself for not having watched where she was going. Her mother, not to mention her combat trainers, had always told her to pay close attention to what was going on around her. That way, they had said, it would be more difficult for someone to sneak up on her.

As Veronika looked up, she realized that they had stopped in front of the elevator which led to the lower levels. These contained the armory, as well as all of the various training areas. She looked at Kraven questioningly, but he ignored her. He flipped open the key pad and entered the access code. Immediately, the elevator doors slid open, and she and Kraven stepped inside. Veronika glanced at Kraven, saw that he was looking at her, and glared at him. Kraven just smirked.

_Well,_ thought Veronika, _at least he's acting more like himself. It's not like him to be quiet like that. It makes him even creepier than usual._

"I never would have thought of you as someone who had had combat training, Veronika." Kraven had been silent for so long that Veronika nearly jumped out of her skin when he said this. Then she realized _what_ he had said.

"Who told you that I've had combat training?" she asked him suspiciously.

"Viktor," he stated simply. Veronika was about to remark on how he might want to conceal the fact that his supreme arrogance was probably his way of compensating for something (A/N: ouch! I would _so_ love to get the chance to say that to a few of the guys that I know!), but at that moment the doors slid open to admit them to the training areas. Kraven began walking towards the armory, and Veronika had no choice but to follow him.

"Soren," Kraven said as they reached the armory, getting the other vampire's attention.

Soren looked up from the document he was going over with Kahn, "Yes, my lord?"

"It appears that there will be a new addition to the team tomorrow night."

"My lord?" Soren asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Viktor has decided that Veronika will be joining the searches from now on."

Veronika was floored. She had wondered what Viktor had told Kraven after he had sent her out of the room, but she had never thought it would be something like this. Kraven and Soren turned to look at her. She looked at Kraven.

"Viktor wants me to do _what_?"

Kraven smirked, "He wants you to join us on our searches for Selene and the hybrid."

Soren turned to Kraven, "But she doesn't have any training. She doesn't know the first thing about –"

"Actually," Veronika interrupted, "I've had quite a bit of combat training. My mother saw to that."

A look of surprise crossed Soren's face, but he quickly suppressed it. Veronika turned to look at Kraven, her head cocked and her eyebrows raised.

He stared back at her, "Is something wrong?"

"Why would Viktor want me to join the searches?"

"He feels that it would be beneficial to you."

"How so?" she asked, her eyebrows still raised.

Kraven was beginning to get irritated by her questions. He had expected Veronika to just accept what he had told her once she found out that it was Viktor's will. After all, Veronika might be extremely young compared to most immortals, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that, even though she might not like Viktor, it was smarter to show him respect and be afraid of him than to openly defy him.

"Think of it this way," he said as he stepped towards her, "It would be a much more productive use of your time than what you've _been_ doing." By this time he was only a few inches away from her.

He lightly stroked his fingers across the left side of her face, running them from her temple to her jaw, "Maybe having you join the searches won't be such a bad thing after all."

Veronika's heartbeat quickened. This was a side of Kraven that she had never seen before. It wasn't that he had never made advances towards her. Oh, no, that certainly wasn't the case. He had made plenty of advances towards her, but never in _this_ way.

"Kraven," she said breathily, staring up into his eyes.

"Yes?" he asked, looking down at her expectantly.

"Get away from me," came her flat reply, and, dropping her dazed expression, she pushed his hand away and walked over to the desk where Kahn was seated.

"Kraven up to his tricks again, eh?" Kahn said, looking up at her.

"Why can't he take a hint?" she asked, sitting down. Kahn grinned.

"Well if he did, he wouldn't be Kraven anymore, would he?"

"I fail to see how that would be a problem," Veronika said dryly.

"I think you might have hurt his feelings," Kahn said, looking past Veronika's left shoulder.

She gave him a confused look, then turned around to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, there stood Kraven, half-way across the room and talking to Soren. Anyone could tell he was pissed off just by looking at him.

"Impressive," said Kahn, still looking at Kraven. "I haven't seen him look _that_ pissed off since Selene left." His voice lowered as he said this last part.

"You might want to watch your step for a while," he continued, looking at Veronika seriously.

"Do you _honestly_ think I'm afraid of that poor excuse for a vampire? The only reason I show him _any_ respect is because Viktor commands it."

"You show him respect?" Kahn asked her, an innocent look on his face.

"Shut up," she told him, lightly slapping him on the arm. "Honestly, I don't understand why Viktor would have left Kraven in charge. He's a bureaucrat, not a warrior."

Veronika was startled when Kahn laughed after she told him this. She couldn't think of anything that was funny about what she had said.

"What's so funny, Kahn?"

"You're _just_ like Selene," he said, shaking his head.

"She used to say the exact same thing," he explained when she gave him a questioning look.

"Was she really a traitor?" Veronika asked him suddenly.

Kahn looked at her for a moment before answering. "Selene was very headstrong. In fact, she was probably one of the most independent people I've ever met. Still, that doesn't mean that she was never dependent upon anybody." He paused, thinking, and then continued. "Viktor was a type of father to Selene. As the story goes, when Selene was still human, her entire family was massacred by lycans in one night. She was the only one left, but, before the lycans could get to her, Viktor killed them all. He found her and turned her into a vampire, thus giving her the power to avenge her family. After that, she was more loyal to him than anybody had ever been. She never once questioned his orders."

"So why did she leave the coven? And with the _hybrid_, no less?"

Kahn looked at her thoughtfully. "I don't know. But I do know that Selene wouldn't do something like that without a reason. Like I said, Selene looked up to Viktor. She never questioned him because she _believed_ in him. It would've taken something enormous to break her faith in him. _Something_ must have happened to make her do what she did."

"I wonder what happened," Veronika said softly.

"I doubt anyone other than Selene or Viktor could tell you."

"True," she admitted. "So, what do I need to know about the searches?"

"Well, we obviously haven't found Selene or the hybrid yet. Anyway, we're going to search the mountains and caves about forty or fifty miles outside of town tomorrow night. Just stay with me and my team, and report anything unusual to either myself or Kraven. Other than that, I'm sure you know how to protect yourself."

"So, I should report _anything_ unusual?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Well, wouldn't that mean that I have to report Kraven to himself?" She laughed when he rolled his eyes.

"Well," she said as she stood up to leave, "I guess I'm part of the team."

**A/N: Well? What did you think? Please review and tell me. Just so you know, if you don't review, I'm not going to post any more chapters, and the Mutant Hell Bunnies from Outer-Space will attack you in your sleep. If you _do_ review, I will give them all carrots so they'll leave you alone. Also, I like cheese! (And when I say reviews, I mean I want lots and lots of reviews! I'm not greedy, I'm enthusiastic.) Also, I'll be posting my first-ever _Labyrinth_ fanfic, Back to You, and soon I'll be starting a new _Underworld_ fanfic. I don't have a title yet…And for all those "Selene&Michael" fans, be happy, because the new _Underworld_ fic is an S&M romance! But I won't post anything (new chapters _or_ new stories) if you don't review (lol!). Now, be good little pretties, and _click the button._ Go on, click it! (P.s. – I hope you liked this chapter!)**


	4. Chapter 4: Unexpected Surprises

Disclaimer: I don't own _Underworld_ or anything associated with it.

A/N: Greetings, everyone! Did you miss me? C'mon, admit it! You know you did! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted, but it took me a while to figure out what to write (you might say I had a slight case of writer's block for a few days), and then there were3 those days where I was too busy to write…Oh, well. This chapter's length should make up for it. Enjoy! (And to all of those Kraven fans out there, this chapter's for you! Tell me what you think!) And, if you want a shout-out in the next chapter, you have to review and tell me!

Veronika

Chapter Four-Unexpected Surprises

_Crack!_ The sound echoed across the training room like the crack of a whip.

_Thump, thump! Whap, whap, whap…Crack! _(**A/N:** I know the sound-effects are corny, but bear with me) The chain of the punching bag clanked violently as Veronika struck the punching bag with as much force as she could muster. Veronika hit the bag again, and the chains clanked together even more violently. She steadied the punching bag and took a step back, panting slightly.

"You alright?"

Veronika spun around, striking out at whoever was behind her. She had just enough time to redirect her punch after registering who the speaker was. Kahn, however, had been lucky enough to realize what was about to happen to him. He had about two seconds to duck before Veronika's fist hit him. It was a good thing he was fast.

"Guess that answers _that_ question," he murmured to himself.

"I'm sorry, Kahn," said Veronika, and apologetic look on her face.

He looked at her, wondering what could have gotten her into such a mood.

"What's got you so high-strung?" he finally asked.

"I don't know," Veronika said as she turned and started walking towards the bench where she had put the clothes she'd be wearing on the mission that night. "It's different things. For starters, I've never been on a mission before, so I have _no_ idea what to expect. Second, I can't stop worrying about whether I'm going to really screw up tonight and wind up getting either myself or somebody else killed, or _both_."

"Veronika – "

"And now _Kraven's_ been brooding and sulking about, which makes him ten times more annoying than he usually is! And I can't handle it, Kahn! I just can't!"

"Veronika!"

"_What_!" She spun around to face him.

"Calm down."

She glared at him, but kept her mouth shut.

He saw the look she was giving him and sighed. "Don't be mad at me. I'm only trying to help."

"Sorry," she said quietly.

"It's alright. But you really should calm down. This kind of tension could really prove to be a problem on the mission." He waited a beat before continuing. "And another thing," he said, a mock-serious expression on his face, "I've already told you what to expect when we go on tonight's search. And stop worrying about whether or not you're going to screw up. You're a much better fighter than half of the guys who will be going out there tonight, and I doubt that you'll wind up getting anyone killed." He said this last part with a look that said _"I can't believe you actually said that."_

A door opened, and Kraven walked into the room. Seeing them, he said, "Good, you're both here."

As Kahn began walking towards Kraven, Veronika whispered, "I don't think I'd mind if I got _someone_ killed."

Kahn turned to look at her, eyebrows raised, "Viktor might."

"Still," she said, keeping her voice low, "It's a pleasant thought."

"That it is," Kahn agreed, trying not to smile.

"Has she been debriefed?" Kraven asked Kahn when he reached them.

"Yes, _she_ has been debriefed. And _she_ doesn't appreciate people talking about _her_ when _she_ is standing right next to them." Veronika said all of this with a look that spoke of the desire to cause pain. A lot of pain.

"I'll take that under consideration," Kraven said dismissively.

Before Veronika could say anything, Kahn shot her a look. Veronika looked at him as if to say _"Why the hell _shouldn't_ I say anything to him?"_ Kahn only gave her the same look. Veronika rolled her eyes and walked away from the two other vampires, heading straight for the mats.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Kraven asked her imperiously.

Without looking back she replied, "Somewhere other than _here_. I have better things to do with my time than listen to you talk about nothing." With that she closed the distance between herself and the mats and proceeded to stretch, enjoying the feeling of warmth that spread through her limbs as, bit by bit, her muscles loosened. With every passing moment the tension in her body lessened. After she had finished working all of the kinks out of her body she began a quick shadow-boxing routine that her mother had taught her. She dodged, kicked, spun and punched, each move calculated and methodical. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she was only vaguely aware of someone coming up behind her. She finished her exercises with a deep-breathing routine, meant to bring calmness and peace of mind to whoever used it.

"You know, you really should show respect when speaking to me. It would serve you much better than your usual attitude."

It was Kraven. As far as she could tell, he was somewhere off to her left.

_I'm sick of this_, she thought to herself. _There is no way I'm going to keep putting up with this._

Veronika spun around, ready to tell him off, but her words were cut short by Kraven's lips pressed firmly against hers. She was stunned.

_Is this really happening?_ she wondered._ No! I can't be kissing him! He's an arrogant jerk…And a _really_ good kisser._

Veronika, making a weak attempt to push Kraven away, found that her body had developed a mind of its own. She slid her hands past his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her even closer, crushing her body against his. Veronika let out a small moan, and Kraven took that chance to deepen the kiss, his tongue slipping past her lips to explore her mouth.

_Oh, my God,_ thought Veronika. _I feel like I'm on fire. I can't get enough of this. I want more…more._

She let out a small whimper when he pulled away, but breathed in sharply when his lips found her neck. The sensation of his lips on her skin was amazing.

"_Kraven_," she whispered, his name escaping her lips.

Kraven grinned inwardly. He had Veronika right where he wanted her. She was his; he could feel it. He bit down.

Veronika cried out as Kraven's fangs sank into her neck. Her body went rigid as pleasure coursed through her, numbing her mind and making any type of thought impossible. It was only when he pulled away – still holding her close – that her mind began to clear and she was able to reflect on everything that had just happened.

_I certainly didn't expect him to do _that, she thought. _Not that I mind. Wait…what the hell am I thinking!_

She shoved Kraven away.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" she asked him. Her look was pure venom.

The look on his face would have been comical had she not been so confused.

His expression changed quickly, becoming smug. "You can't _possibly_ be talking to me," he said.

"I don't see anyone else around her who was just kissing me!"

"You seem to forget," said Kraven, taking a step towards Veronika, "That I was not the only one doing the kissing."

Veronika blushed and turned away. It was true. She _had_ kissed him back, but she wasn't going t admit that.

"Well?" Kraven asked, enjoying the fact that he had caused her to be so confused. "Don't you have anything else to say?"

"Isn't there somewhere else you're supposed to be?" Veronika asked him. "Somebody else you could go annoy?"

"You didn't seem to mind earlier."

"Shut up," she said lamely.

He smirked as he walked towards her, "Such harsh words, Veronika."

Veronika's blush deepened. Partly out of anger, but also because she knew he was right.

_Damn him._

He came up behind her and bent his head so that his mouth was next to her ear.

"Don't be angry," he whispered, his words making her shiver. He pushed her hair away from her right shoulder and began to trail kisses along her neck. Kraven wanted her, and he wanted her to know it. "Don't be angry," he said again.

"Stop it," she whispered, but they both knew she didn't mean it.

"Give me one good reason why I should."

It took her a few seconds before she thought of anything, "Kahn – "

"He left a while ago."

"The search – "

"Doesn't start for hours yet," he interrupted her. He thought for a moment. "Why are you so intent on getting away from here?"

"I never said I wanted to get away from here."

Kraven's brows rose, "So you _don't_ want to leave."

"_Kraven_," Veronika said, a note of warning in her voice. She knew he was trying to get her confused again, and she knew that it was starting to work. Again.

"You _do _know what you want, don't you?"

"Would you _please_ stop trying to confuse me!"

Kraven chuckled softly and pulled her against him, savoring the feel of their bodies pressed together. Veronika tried to pull away, but he held her fast.

"You know you want this, Veronika. We both do."

"How could you _possibly_ know what I want?"

"I haven't been wrong so far, have I?" he whispered in her ear. Again, she shivered.

Kraven waited, wondering briefly if she would actually answer him.

"Why are you doing this?" She spoke so quietly that he almost didn't hear her.

"What?" he asked.

She took a breath, "you heard me. Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean?"

Veronika sighed, "Don't play dumb, Kraven. We both know that there are plenty of other women in this coven that would be _glad_ to be by your side. Why not choose one of them?"

"Because I don't _want_ any of the others. I want _you_."

"None of the others would have given you as much trouble as I have."

Interest sparked in his eyes, "Are you saying that I have you now?"

"No."

In a flash, Kraven had turned Veronika around so that she was facing him once again. He was looking so deeply into her eyes that Veronika thought he might be able to see into her soul.

"_Really_?" he asked her. Before Veronika could say anything, Kraven's lips were on her neck, and his fangs were piercing her skin. Veronika cried out as, once again, pleasure coursed through her entire body, mingling with the pain of Kraven's bite. Every cell in her body screamed for this to go on, and that feeling intensified ten-fold when Kraven pulled her tight against him and deepened his bite, that supernatural embrace that made vampires what they were. By this time, Veronika was so weak – more from pleasure than from loss of blood – that she would have fallen if Kraven hadn't been holding her up.

When it was over, Veronika could only lean on Kraven, panting softly, her head on his chest and his arms around her.

_I'm so confused,_ Veronika thought. _An hour ago, if someone had told me that I'd be making out with Kraven, I'd have laughed in their face. If someone had told me I'd be getting _love bites_ from Kraven I'd have knocked them unconscious._

The silence was broken by the sound of Kraven's cell phone ringing. Kraven stepped away from Veronika and pulled out the phone.

"Yes?" he said crisply to whoever was on the other line. There was a pause, and then, "Tell him I'll be right there."

Kraven hung up the phone (A/N: Can you actually hang up a cell phone?) and looked at Veronika, "We'll have to finish this conversation later."

He walked over to her and kissed her passionately, letting her know that he would not forget about what had just transpired between them.

_Neither will I_, Veronika thought wryly.

"We _will_ finish this conversation," Kraven told her. Veronika wasn't sure she liked the look in his eyes. He turned away from her and walked out of the room, leaving a sharp silence behind him.

It took a few minutes for Veronika to get her thoughts together. She walked out of the room and into the elevator. When she reached the upper levels, she stepped out into the hallway and began walking towards her room, only to be pulled into a side room by Kahn.

"What _happened_ in there?" he asked Veronika quickly, worry evident in his expression.

"Kahn, what are you – "

"You were in there for almost an hour! What the hell happened? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Veronika smiled, "Kahn, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine." Seeing his look, she added, "I promise."

"You're sure?" he asked her.

"Yes," she assured him.

"Alright," he said. A beat, and then, "What were the two of you talking about, anyway?"

Veronika thought about everything that had just happened to her.

_There's no way I can tell him what happened_, she thought.

"Veronika?" Kahn asked, watching her.

She turned to him and, with a cryptic look, said, "Something unexpected."

**A/N: Well? What 'cha think? In the words of Kraven himself... "Bet you weren't expecting _that_." I really want to know what everyone thinks, 'cause that was the first kissing scene I've ever written, and I'm worried that it sucks…Give me closure, tell me you hate me, I don't care! (yes, I do) Just review! Pwease! And be honest! By the way, the Hell Bunnies are on vacation, so I can't send them after you…But if you don't review, I'll cry! Also, to all the Kraven fans out there, I wrote this chapter for you! (And for me, too, sine I myself am a Kraven fan) So I want really good (and that means _long_) reviews from you…Otherwise there will be no more Kraven-kissing! Now, click the review button! Go on…Click it!**


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